BRISTOL, Tenn. — Fairmont State faced a tough doubleheader against King (Tenn.), suffering narrow losses in both games, falling 3-2 and 7-6 on Monday.
Game 1: King 3, Fairmont State 2 (8 Inn.)
King took an early lead in the first inning when Aubrey King doubled to center field, driving in Giana Winge for a 1-0 advantage.
In the fourth inning, Fairmont State leveled the score.
Alexa Foresha singled, followed by
Carly Crowder entering as a pinch runner. A hit by pitch and a single by
Sydney Emanuel allowed Crowder to score, making it 1-1 at the end of the fourth inning.
The game remained tied until the eighth inning when Fairmont State briefly took the lead.
Jaylin McGill's sacrifice fly allowed
Alexa Foresha to score from third. However, King responded with a rally in their half of the eighth. Giana Winge's double brought home Sophia Waters, and Yuleesa Kennedy's double scored Winge, sealing the 3-2 victory for King.
Micah Wilson delivered a strong performance in the circle, pitching 7 1/3 innings and allowing three runs on seven hits with four strikeouts.
Emma Paul recorded three hits in the game, while
Avery Townsend added two hits, and
Sydney Emanuel collected one hit and drove in a run.
Game 2: King 7, Fairmont State 6
The scoring began for Fairmont State in the fourth inning with
Gabby Bibb,
Emma Paul, and
Avery Townsend each hitting singles to load the bases.
Breonna Marietta then delivered a sacrifice fly to bring in Bibb, putting the Falcons on the board. However, King responded with a five-run inning, highlighted by a two-run double from Katie Ryan, ending the fourth with a 5-1 lead.
Fairmont State added another run in the sixth inning when
Alexa Foresha hit a double and was replaced by pinch runner
Paige Matteson, who scored on
Jaylin McGill's double, narrowing the gap to 5-2. King extended their lead to 7-2 by the end of the sixth inning with two more runs of their own.
In a determined seventh inning, the Falcons tried to mount a comeback.
Kensy Thomas scored on a walk to Paul, and
Taylor Bernard grounded out to shortstop, allowing Bibb to score. Matteson followed with an RBI single to bring home Paul. Marietta then grounded out, driving in Matteson, but the rally fell just short, finalizing the score at King 7, Fairmont State 6.
Bibb led the scoring for the Falcons with two runs and added a hit in two at-bats. Marietta contributed two RBIs with a walk and a sacrifice fly. Paul recorded a hit and an RBI, along with scoring once and walking once. Matteson made an impact off the bench, driving in a run with a hit and crossing the plate herself.
Fairmont State (8-6) remains on the road as it will face Shepherd University on Wednesday, March 11. Game one from Shepherdstown, West Virginia is set for 1:00 p.m.
